North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, 1941-1946

About this collection

This collection of photographs and print materials is dedicated to the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, which operated in Wilmington from 1941-1946 along the Cape Fear River. The 1940s and the Second World War brought an influx of newcomers and a renewed energy to the city. The North Carolina Shipbuilding Company employed thousands of workers, who delivered 243 new ships for the cause. Wilmington was an attractive place for the servicemen stationed at military installations in town and in the surrounding counties. After the war, many decided to relocate to the area. In 1945, the North Carolina Legislature approved the State Port Authority, which provided support for transforming the World War II shipyard into a first class port facility.